By continuing to use this site, you agree to our use of cookies. Find out more

Kits United Kingdom - World War 2

Published 14-Apr-2017

MiniArt 1/35 T-80 Soviet Light Tank with Crew

By Martyn Chorlton

T-80 Soviet Light Tank with Crew courtesy of Creative Models

T-80 Soviet Light Tank with Crew

This is the second rebox of the original MiniArt T-80 which first appeared in 2007. This ‘Special Edition’, just like the original comes with a crew of five, a set of workable track links and a small PE sheet. Having not seen the original kit, the tracks and PE seem to be the only changes, although the crew are posed differently and possibly moulded to a higher standard. A new tool in 2007, this T-80 still looks good on its 21 sprues (16 are for the tracks!).

Introduced into Soviet Army service in 1942, the T-80 arrived at a time when the light tank had had its day on the battlefield. As a result only 77 T-80s were ever built and from early 1943 onwards, the Soviet’s focussed on churning out SU-76 series machines in place of the light tank.

Although this is a comprehensive kit, the A4 instruction booklet is unusually thin and the actual build of the tank is only spread over eleven sections. The PE will take up some time while the tracks, as usual, will keep you quiet for a bit longer. For the figure modeller, the crew, all posed differently, will be a welcome distraction. All in all an interesting subject presented to MiniArts very high standards.